The real consequences of sin are...

 
Callie was the kind of person who saved, invested, and did all she could to earn a good income.  She made several unwise investments in properties that proved to be disastrous.  She ended up with a debt she was unable to pay. The mortgage bank owner also happened to be wealthy family friend who knew of her predicament.  He called her over for a meeting. She started thinking of what she was going to say.  Even though her debt was realistically to big to pay back, she still wanted to tell him of her intentions to pay him back.  When she arrived for the meeting, the wealthy family friend offered to pay off her debt in full and told her that no repayment was necessary.

The next year, her sister Abby ended up with a large debt she could not pay either.  Callie could see it coming though.  Abby was never careful with her money, borrowed often from Callie and spent beyond her means.  The same wealthy family friend also paid off Abby's debt with terms of no repayment.

 If you were Callie, how would you feel? 

Would you feel resentful that she got the same treatment as you even though you worked hard and she did not? Would you feel that Abby's rescue was totally undeserved, but at least you were trying really hard?

It would depend on how you understood your debt.  If you felt as though you were more deserving of financial rescue, then it would be easy to feel resentful.  If however, you understood your debt as unpayable and you were just as underserving of financial rescue as Abby, you would rejoice in both debts being paid and have utmost adoration for the wealthy friend.



-Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant starting in Matthew 18:23? His intentions were to pay back his master the unpayable debt. The master freely forgave the debt. Yet we see his angry reaction to someone indebted to him.
-Remember the parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew 20? The ones working all day got what they agreed on, a days wage, and were upset when those only working one hour got the same payment.
-Remember the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15? The older brother was upset that his undeserving brother received such special treatment?
-Remember Cain and Abel in Genesis? Cain was upset that the sacrifice he worked so hard for was unacceptable, yet Abel's sacrifice was accepted?

One might be tempted to say, "Hey, that's not fair!"

If we don't understand the seriousness of our debt to God, our sin, we miss the boat, we don't get the gospel, and it's not possible to love our brother the way Christ is talking about. If we think our sin is not that bad, something God will overlook, a mistake, or something that will lessen as we progress, we are sorely mistaken.  The wages of sin is death ~Rom 6:23.  Our sin makes us worthy of hell. If sin were not that serious and did not result in hell, then why even have a Savior? Have you ever considered what you actually deserve?  Have you considered what the real consequences of sin are?

When understood correctly, a person would instead say, "Hey, that's not fair! And I am eternally grateful that it is not fair, because I don't want to get what is fair, what I deserve."

Callie could easily think her sister Abby was not deserving or worthy of rescue. She might think that if someone was worthy of rescue, it was probably her; after all, she works so hard to be financially sound. If we equate this to sin, Callie needs to realize that her debt, her sin debt is an offense to God, and if she had broken one sin, she has broken the entire law. ~James 2:10. Callie failed to realize that she too was just as undeserving.

When we understand we are not worthy to get His forgiveness and yet it is freely given to us, only then can we look at another person and love them freely too. When we abandon thoughts that God has forgiven us because we somehow merit His forgiveness by our deeds; when we realize He has forgiven us because of His nature, not ours; when we see that Christ died for us WHILE we were yet sinners (Rom 5:8)... THEN we are free to freely forgive others as well.  We love and forgive as we have been loved and forgiven.

However, if a person believes they are more deserving of forgiveness, or less deserving of punishment, then that person is like the unforgiving servant, the complaining vineyard laborer, the older son, and Cain.

Jesus said to love others as He has loved us.  How do you believe He has loved you? Freely or conditionally? Do you still think you have some goodness or righteousness from within yourself stored up and Jesus will fill in the gaps; OR do you understand the truth of your own spiritual bankruptcy yet? Did Jesus only make it possible to be forgiven if you go through some repentance process; and if so, how is your progress coming; have you been able to forsake sins and keep the commandments; when do you suppose that will happen? Are you hungry yet; hungry and starving for righteousness because you are a beggar and understand that all the righteousness you've strived for is stinky rags (~Isaiah 64:6)?

It's a wonderful thing to realize the truth of your sinful wretchedness because then you can know Jesus as much more than an example and older brother. You can truly know Him as Savior. After all, if you are capable of becoming righteous by your good deeds or commandment keeping, why would Jesus have to die (~Gal 2:21)? If the wages of sin really is death (~Rom 6:23) and you still can't own up to your corruptness and truthfully admit you are worthy of death and hell, then how exactly is Jesus a Savior? What is He saving you from?  The Truth will set you free, and knowing Him in this way as Savior has to be the very essence of "pure bliss." This is why those who know what they are saved from have rightly said that He is worthy of all praise and adoration.

A monopoly

I had an interesting conversation with an elderly Mormon man a few years ago.  He was a devout Mormon.

It was evident he unknowingly held on to some strong prejudices against non-Mormons. I used to be the same way, so I am not pointing the finger of blame.  I even use a term for this: "a monopoly on goodness." (Sorry I can't remember who coined this phrase).

We were having a discussion about some YouTube videos of the Adam's Road band members who also left Mormonism into a relationship with Jesus.  This man was absolutely appalled! He said some degrading things about these young men.  He also laid some accusations out about others he knew personally that left the Mormon church. He said of the people he knew personally that they were adulterers, extortionists, liars and so forth.  Those accusations may or may not have been true, I have no idea.  He then proceeded to point out how he and other faithful Mormons show good fruit.  They attend their meetings, pay tithing, attend the temple, and so forth.

I also had a young zealous Mormon missionary knock at my door who also exhibited this belief that Mormon's had a monopoly on goodness.  He mistakenly assumed that regular Christians did not have near the good fruit of Mormons and then tried to illustrate his point with examples. He then looked at me and point blank asked, "Where are your good fruits? Can you show me?" He asked in a tone assuming I could not. If only he had new eyes to see.

How interesting that if you measure your worthiness by your moral performance; your obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel, it is only logical that every one else's worthiness is measured the same way.  Unfortunately, living with this frame of mind tends for a person to be in a position of denial, despair or boasting as it relates to their worthiness. Here is the great illusion: you can be worthy/righteous according to your obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. I'll elaborate on why this is an illusion in a future post and I intend on linking it here.

You may ask, then how else can a person be worthy/righteous if not by their obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel? Good question. What do you suppose Paul meant when he said, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16)? It is such a foreign concept to grasp that you are not right before God by your obedience to the law.  To the lost, this concept is unfathomable, in fact it is down right foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). Let me say this; there is another way to be worthy/righteous... it is the narrow way (Matthew 7:14). How so? Which way is that?  Jesus explains it with a parable He gave to those who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else.

 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. ~Luke 18:9-14